Sheol's 80-Gallon - Description and QUESTIONS

[Sheol]

Eek I'm so sorry- for some reason I didn't know there were responses to my thread!

So - my tank is still hot. It was 85 point something yesterday when I came home - with a water change, I lowered it almost 4 degrees, but didn't finish replacing all the water, because I didn't want to change the temperature that drastically. This morning when I left for work, the tank was 80.2 degrees F.

I haven't put the new lights on the tank yet because of the high nitrate level, but if all works out, I'll be able to buy a 180-gallon tank w/ a chiller from a guy on Craigslist for $900 on Monday/Tuesday. Only problem is - someone else called just after me all excited to buy it, whereas I was more hesitant because budgeting that money out was difficult for me, and I didn't know until last night that I would be able to budget enough out of my paycheck to buy it. The tank's beautiful, though. If I'm able to buy it, I will be incredibly excited. I left him a voicemail this morning telling him that I would have the money as of tomorrow, and that I have two friends lined up to help me pick it up on either Monday or Tuesday.

Cross your fingers for me!

If I get this tank, I'm going to set it up right, with appropriate sand and amp's cool pvc stand idea for the rocks.

Here are some pictures of my critters:

Arrow crab eating a dead cardinal fish:


Lawnmower blenny:


Cardinal fish (cleaner shrimp, sebae clown). This was the last cardinal fish, but he died the other day. He seemed very healthy, too! He was the only one that was eating all types of food, including flake and pellets - his other buddies were only eating brine shrimp:


Green chromis - I have a total of 7:


Firefish Gobies:


Purple Firefish Goby:


Will add one more picture in a separate post due to the 6-pic limit.

Not pictured: Fire shrimp, maroon clown, false percula clown, royal gramma

[Sheol]

Last pic:

Cleaner Shrimp - Francois, my favorite. He hasn't eaten in 2 days, and he molted last night. I don't recall him not eating before/after any other molt, so I hope he'll be OK:

[Sheol]

I just got done doing the happy dance - the guy told me I could have the aquarium. I don't have it in my possession yet, but if one of my friends with a truck can help me pick it up on Sunday the 27th, that's the magical pick-up date. I'm excited.
A picture of it is attached.

[Amphibious]

Well, yeah, I guess. Congrats big time!!!

Dick

[Sheol]

I don't like the clear back, but I get the feeling that it's hard to color/paint the back of an acrylic aquarium (since you always have the choice of blue, black, or clear when you buy). Is there anything I can do besides add a paper background behind it, does anyone know?

I can't believe I'm getting that aquarium for only $900 - I love Craigslist!

[Amphibious]

You can paint an Acrylic tank with Acrylic Latex paint. That's what I did with my clear back Acrylic tank.




I used the same paint on the stand. This pic will also give you a reminder of the LR stands.

[Sheol]

Hehe - thanks. My biggest worry now is being able to find flat rock.

[CarmieJo]

Good deal! I was just thinking, a couple months ago you were wondering what to do with this inherited tank and now you've bought a 180!

[Sheol]

Haha - I know, right? I'm fully obsessive in whatever task I undertake, though. I feel that this hobby is probably more useful and enjoyable than my most recent obsession of buying hundreds of dollars of makeup and skincare products each month. :P ...although I'm not going to sacrifice ALL of the prettiness for the fishies.

Update on two of my critters: My cleaner shrimp is A-OK, swimming all around the tank and eating hungrily. However, my royal gramma just up and disappeared.

I'm very excited to go get the tank - luckily the weather for the last couple of days hasn't been too hot and the tank has been around 80 - 83 degrees.

I know I only inherited the tank, but most of the time I've had it I've been frustrated at its limitations. I can't wait to start up the next one and use better substrate and actually have a sump/refugium! This freshwater stand has been the bane of my existance. Heh.

[Sheol]

My boyfriend insinuated that I could keep BOTH of my tanks. I wonder how likely it would be to be able to maintain both of them, plumbed into the same sump.

Then I could get the pufferfish I've always wanted in the old 80-gallon. It's tempting.

[CarmieJo]

Hmmm, I hear the wheels turning. Better be careful or you won't have any "pretty" budget left!

[Sheol]

OK I have the new tank here, and I have no idea how to plumb it together. It has a chiller, in-sump pump, in-sump protein skimmer, and UV sterilizer.

I want to find example plumbing diagrams. Any pointers?

I know that some of the things were hooked up to eachother, like I think that the UV sterilizer and the chiller were plumbed together... I don't know much more than that. The tank has two black cylinders on either end of it associated with the circulation/filtration.

[lReef lKeeper]

the 2 larger holes are going to be your drains that go to the sump, and the smaller holes are going to be your return lines coming in from the sump. i do not run a chiller so someone else will have to help you out there, but i would think that you would run your chiller with a separate pump but i am by no means sure of this.

[Sheol]

OK so my setup appears to be VERY similar to the diagram here, except I don't have a second pump or a spray bar.

My tank has two places for aquarium water back in, though, and the one pump has a T-fitting on the output. Therefore, it looks like I can either (a) run the first line directly back to the tank, and the second line through the UV sterilizer, chiller, and back to the tank or (b) run the first line through the chiller to the tank, and the second line through the UV sterilizer to the tank.

I don't know which way is better, but I would think (b) would provide more even return flows on each side. I am pretty sure the previous owner had the UV sterilizer in-line with the chiller, though, so I don't know if there is an advantage to that.

[Sheol]

Originally Posted by Sheol

My biggest worry now is being able to find flat rock.

I am having NO luck with the flat rock search. I think I may have to skip on trying out the pvc stand method.

Also, the (pompous) LFS owner told me that I shouldn't try the deep sand bed method, because it's difficult to maintain.

AND - I need to buy aragonite now. Does anyone know of a good place to buy it for a good price? I have no idea how much I need, either, but this 180-Gallon tank seems HUGE to me!

[CarmieJo]

Here is a calculator Sand Bed Calculator to help you figure out how much sand you need. I have never used the garf grunge so I can't comment about it. Check